Why You Should Take a Road Trip to La Conner

Specialty shops, museums and art galleries abound in this small, but historic town

By Lyra Fontaine September 17, 2015

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This article originally appeared in the October 2015 issue of Seattle Magazine.

 

Where: La Conner, about 70 miles north of Seattle. Bordered by the Swinomish Channel, the historic town is small in size but big in character, with no shortage of specialty shops, museums and art galleries. 
WHY: The fourth annual Fall Boneshaker bicycle festival on 10/31 
(boneshakerbikefest.com) for a spooky, scenic tour of Skagit Valley during the crisp and colorful harvest season. WHAT: Costume-clad cyclists pedal 25K, 50K and 100K routes through farmland with views of the Cascade Mountains. GET ARTY: Historically a hub for influential artists, including Guy Anderson and Morris Graves, La Conner continues to carry on its artistic legacy. See work inspired by the local landscape at the Museum of Northwest Art (monamuseum.org), and don’t miss the collection of tribal art and regional abstract expressionist paintings at Cassera Arts Premiers (casseraartspremiers.com), a gallery with a laidback neighborhood vibe. UNWIND: Enjoy a glass of local wine by the waterfront at La Conner Sips wine bar and bottle shop (laconnersips.com), and refuel after sightseeing at Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage (aneliaskitchenandstage.com), which serves homemade Polish specialties such as pierogi, crêpes, halupki and sausage with sauerkraut. LYRA FONTAINE

 

Where: La Conner, about 70 miles north of Seattle. Bordered by the Swinomish Channel, the historic town is small in size but big in character, with no shortage of specialty shops, museums and art galleries. 

WHY: The fourth annual Fall Boneshaker bicycle festival on 10/31 (boneshakerbikefest.com) for a spooky, scenic tour of Skagit Valley during the crisp and colorful harvest season. WHAT: Costume-clad cyclists pedal 25K, 50K and 100K routes through farmland with views of the Cascade Mountains.

GET ARTY: Historically a hub for influential artists, including Guy Anderson and Morris Graves, La Conner continues to carry on its artistic legacy. See work inspired by the local landscape at the Museum of Northwest Art (monamuseum.org), and don’t miss the collection of tribal art and regional abstract expressionist paintings at Cassera Arts Premiers (casseraartspremiers.com), a gallery with a laidback neighborhood vibe.

UNWIND: Enjoy a glass of local wine by the waterfront at La Conner Sips wine bar and bottle shop (laconnersips.com), and refuel after sightseeing at Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage (aneliaskitchenandstage.com), which serves homemade Polish specialties such as pierogi, crêpes, halupki and sausage with sauerkraut.

 

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